A defense bill heading for a House vote would legally tie US military tech and supply chains to Israel's, and the amendment to strip it was blocked — bad news for anyone worried about entangling alliances or missing Epstein files.

• Section 219 of the annual defense bill orders US and Israeli military technology and supply chains to be merged, with a permanent official put in charge — something the US has with no other country, not even Britain.
• The amendment to remove it was blocked, so it passes with no debate and no record of what Congress actually intended.
• The likely goal is to fold aid to Israel into the US defense budget instead of a separate line item, since public support for foreign aid is falling.
• A follow-up Epstein bill would let victims, members of Congress, and state attorneys general sue to force the Justice Department to hand over the three million files it is still sitting on.
• Government spending has added trillions in new debt in 18 months, and that borrowing is feeding inflation and high interest rates.

Outlook: The defense bill is expected to pass the House with the Israel provision intact, and the second Epstein bill starts collecting signatures in September.